‘No Place to Hide’? The Realities of Leadership in UK Supermarkets

Abstract

Editor's Foreword SKOPE PublicationsThis series publishes the work of the members and associates of SKOPE. A formal editorial process ensures that standards of quality and objectivity are maintained. Orders

‘A Minute’s a Life-Time in Fast-Food!’: Managerial Job Quality in the Quick Service Restaurant Sector

“…This fastidious attention to training compares favourably with that reported in routinised managerial work in other parts of the service industry e.g. the café sector (Lloyd and Payne, 2014) and retail (Grugulis et al, 2011). Career mobility extended beyond restaurant management; some had moved rapidly and successfully into support i.e.…”

“…The findings suggest routinised front line managerial work can under certain circumstances be both materially rewarding and indeed meaningful notwithstanding the bureaucratic rigidities that are a feature of this type of work (Grugulis et al, 2011;Lloyd and Payne, 2014). There is thus a need to recognise the substantial variability that exists within such roles.…”

HRM and front line managers: the influence of role stress

“…The retail industry is the UK's largest private sector employer with many of its organizations operating on an international basis (Skillsmart, 2013). Yet, despite the significance of the industry to many countries, and its people-oriented nature, research on HRM in retailing is limited (Marchington, 1996;Grugulis, Bozhurt and Clegg, 2011). This paper investigates retail FLMs whose role has been identified as demanding significant HRM skills and expertise (Freathy and Sparks, 2000;Netemeyer, Maxham and Lichtentein, 2010;Grugulis et al, 2011).…”

HRM and performance: the vulnerability of soft HRM practices during recession and retrenchment

“…However, research remains limited in relation to the size of the sector, with few studies addressing HRM in retail (Ogbonna and Whipp, ). Labour process literature has considered the impact of consumer behaviour on approaches to flexible employment (Mulholland, ), whilst the routines of retail managers have been explored in terms of low control and highly monitored targets (Grugulis et al ., ), again raising questions about how HRM practice might be vulnerable to intensification. The impacts of restricted budgets and lean staffing on work‐life balance and well‐being consequences are part and parcel of retail work experienced by line managers (Smith and Elliott, ).…”